White Moon Night
It was a night that was only illuminated by the faint moonlight trickling through the dense grey clouds. But all that could be seen on this night was a blanket of sand reaching the ends of the world. Within this endless sand stood a lonesome, almost delicate figure. A female with white hair falling down to her back, red eyes that looked forward and an almost porcelain face walked these sands: the sands of the . Her name was Senhime, an eternally determined figure that searched for a particular boy this night. She had finally reached her destination, the . The only obstacle in her way were the guardians of the village at its gates. "Hello." The woman tenderly spoke, her gaze softening and a small smile showing on her face. "My name is Senhime. I come from in hopes of the trading of tonight. I have traveled long and far with my goods." She had gestured to the baggage she was carrying at her back. "Might I be able to have entrance for the night?" She had asked, hoping that her feminine charms would woo the guard in allowing her entrance. The guard momentarily thought, before contacting one of his superiors through radio. His conversation soon ended, as he gestured for her to move forward. "Feel free, madam. If you would like any assistance in finding accommodation, feel free to ask me." He politely offered. "Thank you for the offer." Senhime responded in kind, walking forward and finally clearing the major obstacle in her path. "Now to search for that child." Senhime thought in her mind as she wandered the sand-paved roads of Sunagakure, "What was his name again...? Ah, yes. Zenjou." She reminded herself, as she continued to walk forward. Peacock feathers littered his families manor. Brustling and mingling with the sand as peafowels danced about. Their cries shrieking through the night. Males danced to court nearby females. Thousands of eyes rustling with one another. Sunagakure's calm winds added to such a beautiful song. One could see why his family adopted such birds. It even became their symbol. All connected to such nobility wore special adornments meant for emperors. But only one had feathers sticking upwards. Pointing to the heavens he wished to rule. This child, who graduated to a higher rank not to long ago, sat on his families roof. Ironic that he continued to call them family. During his exams, Zenjou learned life shattering truths. That must be the land my mother told me about...I felt it. The cries...calls for me to return...But...but that only leaves me with so little answers...Who am I...What am I... For once in his life, Zenjou's extreme arrogance had shaken. How could one label themselves an Emperor without knowing who or even what they were? Zenjou lept from his rooftop and walked off his parent's lawn. It wasn't their realy home, just a piece of property they owned within Sunagakure. His mother and father lived with his uncle on some far off mansion. They simply loaned him this house so he could protect Sunagakure much easier. Although a vacational house, it was fixed with his usual demands. Maidens, wine, even butlers to follow his wish. But every since his revelations, Zenjou found himself requiring night strolls. As he walked off, his many peacocks cleared a path. His own feathered tail dragging behind him. Senhime continued to walk forward, looking through her immediate environment as a means to find clues as-to where Zenjou's location was. However, much to her pleasant surprise, the man came before him, or at least she assumed he did. The young man in front of her was the personification of arrogance itself. Peacock feathers strolled by his side and he continued to walk, disregarding all in his path. But Senhime knew that this man was part of her blood, she could feel it even without sensory measures. As she walked forward, their paths were bound to intersect. In her feigned state of obliviousness, Senhime bumped into the shoulders of the man walking past. In doing so, her chakra transferred from her shoulder to the boy's, sending a surge that would alter the density of his bones, although the effects would come to fruition momentarily. "Apologies!" Senhime said in a surprisingly sincere-sounding tone. "I'm a bit new here so I'm getting lost quite easily...sorry." "New or not watch where you're going,Peasant!" Zenjou spat as he took a step sideways. A word filled with hostile poison. He cared little about being bumped into. It was the sudden shock which angered him. They walked upon an empty street, how could she be so careless. But before he could berate her further, Zenjou felt a strong tingling from within. Almost as if the world caved in upon his shoulders. His knees started to shake under extreme pressure. What is this?! He asked himself. Never has someone brought Zenjou such feelings. Almost as if he had little control over himself. The force deepened as his back bent. Further...Harder...Soon, Zenjou found himself upon one knee. "What's going on?! What have you done to me?! Who are you?!" Fear overwashed his body. Soon all arrogance had been replaced by thoughts of death. Has someone come to for the Lords head? "I will not let you!" A riser emerged from his palm which then grew two long yet slightly curved limbs. Almost instantly, a recurve bow had formed. A bow as white as night itself. It seemed as if Zenjou carved it from the moon itself. He attempted to raise his other hand to pull back an arrow but found it nigh impossible. Instead, Zenjou pulled out three Kuna. He tossed each towards her. Hoping to break this curse she placed on him. Why is her hair similar to mine... "Ah? What happened, sir?" Senhime sarcastically continued with her pretense as she non-chalantly swatted away the kunai with a single hand. As they dropped on the floor, Senhime went down on her knee and touched the same shoulder she bumped into. "I apologize! Do you need medical attention?" Senhime echoed with her voice, as her hands had an almost therapeutic effect on the young man's ability to stand. "Someone, please help this person!" She exclaimed, before turning away, "I'm sorry, I have urgent business to attend to!" Senhime began to run at a remarkably quick pace, all the while underneath her façade she smirked to herself at the weakness of this little child. Lord Kaguya immediately jumped to his feet and with an unhuman thrust, dashed after her. His speed left a massive cloud of sand behind. But as with any Kaguya, his steps were elegant. Zenjou lifted his bow upwards. He pulled back which created an already arrow from his forearm. A white blade which shined in Sunagakure's moonlight. As he almost pulled back, Zenjou's finger nearly touched his mouth. Leading to him quickly releasing it. The arrow whistled silently as it sliced through Sunagakure's calm night. He aimed it carefully at Senhime's spine. Right after his first shot, Zenjou released three more arrows almost instantly. He was filled with anger, and lacked focus. Causing his shots to fall off target by a couple centimeter. Zenjou growled. His Peacock tail whispering peacefully behind him. How dare she...How dare she...I will have her head! No..no...I'm going to rip her apart! "What a talentless boy..." Senhime thought to herself as she calmly turned around and gripped onto the first arrow with her hand, snapping the projectile into two before throwing them back at an even greater force than he shot them with, causing his subsequent two shots to be thrown aback by the force of Senhime's makeshift darts, all the while the third shot narrowly avoided Senhime, something which she predicted due to her years of experience. "Kid..." Senhime began to speak, her tone being remarkably serious as she continued to run in a backwards fashion. "You're remarkably weak, you realize?" Senhime condescendingly spoke in an attempt to completely shatter the boy's ego. "Weak?! I'll show you weak you bastardly bitch!" Zenjou dipped lower before launching himself high above Senhime. He grabbed onto his bow tightly before pulling back. Revealing the sizable arrow Zenjou pulled from his inner arm. Chakra streamed from Prince Kaguya's body, into his bow before finally reaching his arrow. It raged insanely around Zenjou's arrow. Causing a massive aura to develope around his body. "I am the light which guides this world into salvation. The Emperor who protects his people from evil. And for the crimes committed tonight, you will pay!" When his fingers released Yumi no Kokka's string, Zenjou could feel the force which his arrow flew. It curved greatly, almost appearing sentinent. The raging aura became a porcelain sword which matchead Sunagakure's moonlight. It flew with extreme tenacity and piercing power towards Senhime. He slowly floated downwards, awaiting to see Senhime's corpse. "What an interesting technique..." Senhime commented, as the chakra engulfed the entirety of the arrow that Zenjou created. "However..." Prior to Zenjou being able to release the said arrow, Senhime had taken out one of her spinal chords with her right arm and, using her prowess in chakra control, had chakra surge through the bone, thinning it out to a whip-like structure that, due to its particular density and sharpness, managed to cleanly slice through the arrow despite the overwhelming quantity of chakra surging through it. "Heh, you better watch out." Senhime chuckled, as the two halves of the arrow went by the sides of her body without any hindrances. Flicking her wrist downward, the whip followed suit as it quickly attempted to spiral around Zenjou's body and bind him in place, exchanging its cutting power for great density. Zenjou found himself bounded by a whip unlike any other. He felt her spinal chord heavily constricting his movements. Blood slowly dripped from Zenjou's arms and atop his forehead. This pain. No one has been able to bring Prince Kaguya to such an embarressing position. He struggled against her grasp but found it nearly impossible to break free. Zenjou bit his lip. Why am I so weak...How can I... Zenjou thought deeply. Suddenly ceasing to struggle completely. Yumi no Kokkai laid next to him. "Who are you? Why are you doing this to me.." Zenjou's voice showed a broken emperor. "No one has ever stopped my gift...Heh...I don't even know what this gift is. Last year, I thought I was the only person who had it. Just like I thought this land to be my true home...God...Why does everyone lie to me...WHY?!" "Don't worry, kid." Senhime said, before she suddenly jolted and instinctively raised her hand in front of her mouth. She began to cough roughly, loosening her grip over the whip that she held. The moment Zenjou would have attempted to escape, however, she tightened it once again, retaining the composure that she possessed earlier. "Tch, you fucking lucky brat." Her language, suddenly turning vulgar, showed her true colors. "You possess this bloody power and a body that doesn't try to murder you every minute of your life? And you fucking don't even know who you are!" Senhime roared, "You are a Kaguya! A clan of barbarians who, in their quest for power, sacrificed children who had this power to fulfill their purposes! You, a talentless brat possesses this power and can't use it!? I can't believe it!" Senhime continued to shout, tears of anger strolling down her face. "You're not even worth my time, you bloody weakling!" Senhime turned around, about to leave his presence without even unwinding the bindings she placed upon him. Senhime's word stung fiercly. Each one destroyed his massive egotistical wall further. After a while, Zenjou lost all sense of self. It was a lot of information to gather. Kaguya...Barbarians...Sacrificed Chilren... But beyond that, Zenjou felt how his existence hurt hers. Every breath he took, was one she lost. Joyful days came from painful weeks. It was an emotional overload. Zenjou simply obeyed and allowed Senhime to drag him as she walked off. He remained silent...Not to think of a method to escape. No. He simply pondered all that was revealed. He noticed that Senhime's body reacted differently to his. Zenjou, throughout his life, rarely suffered from sickness. And although medical ninjutsu did nothing for him, by the time Zenjou really needed it, his ailments disappeared. Is it not like this for everyone? The broken Kaguya simply stared at Senhime. "Hey...where are we going?" Zenjou's voice was empty. Not a care in the world. For she could kill him and Zenjou would accept it. Heaven's Mandate? Will of the Universe? It all meant nothing to him... "Finally talking like the brat you are, are you?" Senhime grunted, letting him go as they reached a large space of sand outside of Sunagakure. "I have a proposition, kid. You wanna hear me out?" Senhime asked, although she immediately used her to create a relatively thick, straight sword. "Although you won't have much of a choice in the matter..." Senhime began to state as she swung her sword vertically, "Given that you possess the same physiological traits that I do, I command you to begin searching for a cure for my ailment. I shall assist you in starting with research through my own in the matter." Senhime paused, before pointing the sword towards Zenjou's face, "In exchange, I teach you how to perfect your employment of the Shikotsumyaku. Deal?" "Hey, enough with the brat already..." Zenjou mumbled. Yet, he jumped when she aimed her sword before him. Zenjou decided to hear out her proposition without any sort of back talk. A rough one indeed. I'm not a scientist...How does she expect me to do that? But still...The chance to learn more about who I really am. An opportunity to strengthen this bles-Kekkei Genkai.. Zenjou took a deep step before lifting his head halfway. His hair fully covered an eye, while the other met Senhime's. He took a deep breath, sighing without a choice. "Fine. I will do what I can....Sensei." "Sensei...sounds idiotic. Don't call me that." Senhime groaned, before smirking. "Fine, then. I'll call you Zen." Senhime turned around, "Your training starts tomorrow at exactly 4:30 am. As it is, it's nearly midnight. You should hurry off and get some sleep, little boy who loves his beauty sleep." Senhime taunted, walking off without a qualm. "The first step to a new life...or so I hope." Senhime thought, "You'll find me at this place again. Don't go and get scared now." Senhime laughed at the young boy, taking a single jump with great force as she ran across the roofs without any noticeable discomfort, leaving the boy to his lonesome. Zenjou watched her disappear. He had remained silent, actually afraid of the wrath she could incur. It was a different feeling...Now someone actually truly looked out for him. Not because of his connection to the Daimyou. Nor because of his fame. Someone generally wanted to train him in a way like none other. Zenjou felt...happy for once. A weird kind of happy. Like watching one's house burn and realizing their cheating spouse was within. It's a bitter sweet feeling. So Zenjou, tattered and damaged walked off. Making sure to remember the location. Day One: The History Lesson Zenjou should have slept, but couldn't. His new life would start in just a few hours. What secrets did it hold? What powers would he gain? Zenjou had hundreds of questions circling within his mind. It drove him crazy. How can I even trust this women? Zenjou thought to himself as he turned over to a side. He watched himself in a mirror. But couldn't' recognize the person looking back. He laid in his usual Kimono. Feathers carefully decorating his body and serving as a blanket. Luckily, Zenjou managed to catch a few hours of sleep before awaking. He got up and showered. But his preparations, which usually took about an hour was cut short. Rather, he left his Kimono on his bed and chose to wear a loose fitting training outfit. Of course, Zenjou managed to sneak out, avoiding any public sightings. At exactly 4:30am, Zenjou sat meditating...awaiting for his teacher. "Oh, you're early." Senhime pointed out, as she walked in a surprisingly casual attire. "You're even wearing a training attire..." Senhime chuckled, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Zen. But this morning is a history lesson." Senhime sat down, "In order to understand your abilities, you must understand your origins." Senhime clapped her hands, "Ready, Zen? This is going to be a long and probably boring history lesson!" Zenjou nodded. He simply sat quietly and listened intentively. Prince Kaguya even took notes excitedly. Zenjou understood that to become powerful, he had to master his history first. "Well, let's start from the beginning." Senhime noted, pausing for a moment. "The Kaguya Clan are, as recently revealed from the , descendants of the progenitor of chakra — . The trait we have inherited from the woman is the ability to manipulate our skeletal structures, which is, as you know, the Shikotsumyaku." Senhime paused for the moment, "However, our immediate clan history comes under a lot of historical scrutiny, for no living members really documented much about us." Senhime noted, standing up and pacing around, with her right index finger waving in the air. "What we do know is that our clan were bloodthirsty individuals." Senhime stated, "The clan, regardless of whether they not they possessed the Shikotsumyaku, possessed a bloodlust that would cause them to go to war very regularly. They would plunge through villages, take the women for themselves and cut through all the men without any thought. Obviously, they would come under significant opposition and, to oppose this, the rare users of the Shikotsumyaku were sent out as tools. Their power was feared, for good reason of course." Senhime paused for a moment, "You getting everything down?" Zenjou had began taking notes, listening to everything Senhime had mention. Kaguya..Shikotsumyaku... Zenjou would repeat as he went on to assure that everything was correct. But when she reached the part about their nature, Prince Kaguya froze. Suddenly, visions plagued his mind. He saw life through another pair of eyes. A female. He watched a mob of people ransack their home, burn their surroundings and even murder those who tried to protect her. Why? He asked himself. Who the hell are you? Why do you keep showing me these things? First the exams now this... When he tried to communicate with her, Zenjou went unanswered. An immense anger flared within his chest. A scorching fire that burned brilliantly with only it's ribcage keeping it guided. Anger..Blood...He wanted to kill. Enjoyed death's presence. The feeling of someone's last breath..."No!" Zenjou screamed as a bone sword came close to stabbing his eye. Yet almost instantly, he found himself looking at a still Senhime. His eyes, which were glazed, returned to their normal gold shade. "I'm...I'm sorry Senhime-sensei." Zenjou truly looked apologetic. As if he'd actually experienced a war. "If I may ask...If our clan were such a way...What happened to them? Are they still barbarians?" A rarity...Under Senhime, Zenjou's personality took an opposite turn. "Hmm..." Senhime thought out loud regarding Zen's condition. She knew it wasn't schizophrenia of the ordinary kind. However, it was no either. "No matter." Senhime thought regarding the issue, patting the young boy on the head. "Now, onto the consequences of these actions." Senhime addressed the question that the young man asked. "You can probably tell what happened to us. Most of us were either scattered or killed in battle. Our so-called pride forced the entirety of the clan to suffer a humiliating defeat from the and of , or so they say. I'm not privy to the details myself given that my ancestors escaped a very long time ago." Senhime mentioned, "However, only you can answer that question, Zen. Are you a barbarian?" It took Zenjou quite a minute to answer that question. He thought back to various occasions of his life where he felt an unquenchable thirst for battle. Where missions almost failed because Zenjou took extra time in battle. He'd torture enemies, spare their lives so they could provide a better challenge, or even comprimise his team so Zenjou experienced an interesting battle. Am I a barbarian? Zenjou thought back to his exams. And even before then. Battle is in my blood..War is my addiction. But.. For every event brought to Zenjou's consciousness, every memory of blood, there was a greater reason. He fought to protect his village, to save his family. Purge lands of corruptness and forward his own dream. Zenjou of course wasn't one for a completely honorable battle but the Peafowl Prince never spilled blood wastefully. "Shinobi are horrible creatures. We kill for our own aspirations and perform atrocious acts from greed..." Zenjou started. His eyes lowered in deep thought. "And even so, the Kaguya were nothing more than monsters. Barbarians who killed for pleasure. How could anyone hold pride in such an existence." Zenjou seemed to change. His confidence had returned as he came to a greater understanding. "I was reborn with their destruction. The pheonix which rises from the ash. I'm a Kaguya and I'm proud to have Kaguya blood running through my veins. But..." Memories flooded his mind. From spending time with his uncle to travelling alongside his parents. Happiness as Zenjou had obtained his first peacock. Watching his parents smile at his graduation. This was who he became. "I'm also a Gyoku. Nephew to the Land of Wind Daimyō and heir to his riches. Protecter of Sunagakure." Zenjou smirked towards Senhime. "I am a bloodthirsty warrior, yet I shall transform it into strength. The strength to protect the one's most important to me!" "God, you're such a philosopher. I only needed a simple answer..." Senhime sighed, all the while chuckling. "Act a bit more your age, alright? You can't even beat me up yet." Senhime chuckled. "In any case, we must return to our chronology." Senhime mentioned, "A number of years prior to the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Kaguya Clan became nearly extinct due to the actions of a certain branch of the clan within Kirigakure. Their attempts at war would leave them all massacred at some point, leaving only remaining known to the world; although I have only found out of this recently." Senhime, in an almost solemn tone, then finished. "However, his life also ended as a result of a disease...despite his power being far beyond even you and I's combined prowess..." Zenjou growled at her bit, almost wanting to pounce. But it served as fuel to his ambitions. To know another man existed beyond him...A man history shall always remember.I shall surpass him. He thought to himself. I promise to overcome this and erase th mistakes made by our clan. Zenjou continued listening. He remembered hearing of Kimimaro before. Sunagakure's previous Kazekage wrote various reports on such a being. A man who, had he lived, would have changed history. Actually, tales of Gaara's battle against Kimimaro forced the new Kazekage to openly accept Zenjou's birth in hopes that he too would possess such prowess. And once they witnessed Zenjou's Shikotsumyaku awakening, they forced him into the Shinobi academy. He eventually became a war power for Sunagakure. Those who read Gaara's more personal reports and witnessed a young Zenjou in battle often prophesized that he'd eventually surpass the Kaguya warrior who almost took Gaara's life. "For now.." Zenjou spoke out. Almost sending a promise to destiny. "If our clan was massacred, how are we alive then?" Zenjou often wondered about his family. It drove him crazy that he never met his biological parents. "I dunno about you." Senhime shrugged, "However, all I know is that my ancestors had migrated from Kirigakure prior to the complete destruction." Senhime sat down after she had completed talking, "And...I think that's all for today." Category:Role-Play